Scenario: Mike and Martha are a married couple of 10 years, they are both 33. Martha is suspected pregnant and they already have a 5 year old child. The two are looking for a new car. Marthas major desire in a new car is that it is safe for her children. She also does not want something to masculine. Martha makes a 60 minute interstate trip every saturday to her mothers house. From there she and her mother drive around the big/congested city in which her mom lives in. This city has many hills and tight parking spots by the shops. Her mother has lower back problems and is often sore from her knee surgery. Martha is 5'9'' and weighs about 165.

Mike is a different guy. He gets up every weekday around 5pm when it is still cold outside and the car is frosted over. The couple does not have a garage and so the car is parked outside. Mikes commute is about 30 minutes of pot holes and stop and go. He then parks in a parking parking garage with one of those spiral exits. When he gets home Martha and him usually go out to diner. On the way to their favorite restraunt there is a windy road which could be fun to drive on for Mike after his long day at the office as a business consultant.

They currently own a Honda Accord and find it to bland for their taste. They want something more possibly. They will go for a new or used car and their budget is about $30,000. They want their car to fit in and be able to take 20,000 miles a year. They do not have the money for expensive repairs.

Find the perfect car for Martha and Mike:coolgleam

Adam

02-05-05, 10:30 PM

i dont know, a volvo or something. maybe a toyota.

Ralph

02-05-05, 10:39 PM

Is this for a school project or something? :shhh:

How about a mid-sized SUV of some sort? Or is it a trick question?

Adam

02-05-05, 10:42 PM

Is this for a school project or something? :shhh:

How about a mid-sized SUV of some sort? Or is it a trick question?

they can only spend/ afford 30,000.00 so i dont think a small SUV would be in the price range:rolleyes: :p . hell i dont even know if a volvo would be in the price range:hmm: ! thats what i picked a volvo or a toyota. volvo's are supposed to be real safe and so are toyotas.

i think you are right Ralph, it must be for school :p .

Ralph

02-05-05, 10:44 PM

they can only spend/ afford 30,000.00 so i dont think a small SUV would be in the price range:rolleyes: :p . hell i dont even know if a volvo would be in the price range:hmm: ! thats what i picked a volvo or a toyota. volvo's are supposed to be real safe and so are toyotas.

i think you are right Ralph, it must be for school :p .

How much is a Ford Explorer or a Honda CRV in the U.S.?

Maybe a Suburu sedan with AWD?

Rolex

02-05-05, 10:53 PM

This sounds like an algabraeic word problem!? :annoyed: Farmer Fred departs the train depot at 3pm traveling at a speed of 35 mph. If Fred travels for 6 hours without stopping, what time will he eat dinner? WTF? I hate word problems!! :p

Subaru Legacy GT Sedan...0-60 is 5.6 seconds. The 2.5L has 250 hp, and it's 26k. It's ok for a family ride, and still sporty.

Adam

02-05-05, 10:57 PM

all of those are (save for the subaru, that might be in their price range) atleast 35k or more. expensive little things arent they. to tell you the truth, my mom cant believe the monthly payments on cars. her boss (administrator, rich man) has 2 Escalades and she couldnt believe he paid like 800 some dollars a month for each. thats more than what she pays a month on our house!

majax

02-05-05, 10:58 PM

:histeric:

Nah, its not for school, I am just seeing how well you guys can put 1 and 2 together. It cannot be an SUV if the mother has knee problems:rolleyes2 ;)

Rolex

02-05-05, 11:02 PM

Subaru Legacy GT Sedan...0-60 is 5.6 seconds.

Correction. Car and Driver puts the 0-60 at 5.8 seconds. Still respectable.

majax

02-05-05, 11:11 PM

I have been in one of the Legacy GTs and they are pretty nice. I find it funny how they named its engine the Boxer, which is like Boxter nock off name. It is turbo charged right?

Rolex

02-05-05, 11:25 PM

I have been in one of the Legacy GTs and they are pretty nice. I find it funny how they named its engine the Boxer, which is like Boxter nock off name. It is turbo charged right?

Turbocharged....yup, and AWD. They released those babies not long after my wife bought her Accord v6. I might have suggested she look into the Legacy if they'd had 250 hp, but her Accord is a really decent car.

RBraczyk

02-06-05, 02:36 AM

Volvo S40 AWD T5

danbuc

02-06-05, 04:31 AM

Subaru's are excellent cars. The term Boxer engine, is not so much the name of the enigne itself, but more of it's design. Porsche also refers to some of their horizontally opposed engines as "Boxer" engines. My dad had a Subaru Outback, and he put about 160k miles on it in about 4 years. The only major problem he had was a rattle in the trunk, after a cabby in NYC rear ended him near 42st. Other than that, the car ran like a champ. I learned how to drive a manual transmission in that car, and it was pretty easy.

Toyota's are also very safe and reliable cars too. I'll take a toyota over a honda any day.

edit: New volvos are not what they used to be, ever seen Ford took over. My grandfather never drove anything but a Volvo for almost 30 years. After he got rid of his 940, he bought a BMW 530i. He hates it, because it has to many electronic doodads. It's not nearly as good in the snow (Massachusetts) as his Volvo's were. My mom has an S60 AWD and she hates it. Horrible gas mileage, electrical problems, rattling and clunking noises, and when ever she uses the "tiptronic" feature on the 5 speed automatic, it make the car smell like burning E-Brake. This is not the sign of a quality product. I used to drive a '89 740GLE, and that thing was a tank. You just couldn't kill it.

RBraczyk

02-06-05, 09:35 AM

Then your mom doesn't know how to shift properly. When I get that smell I'm going from 0-80 in mere seconds pushing the shit out of the tiptronic.

90Brougham350

02-06-05, 11:29 AM

The way I see it, there's only one car which could ever suit the needs of this couple; 1994 Taurus Wagon baby! Whoa!:yup:

c5 rv

02-06-05, 12:12 PM

Martha's mother would probably be better served with a crossover vehicle that has a bit more height to it than a Honda or other sedan. (This is how I got my dad out of driving a Buick sedan and into a minivan at age 82.) It will also be easier for Martha and Mike to load the new little tyke in a bit taller vehicle. Suggestions:

- Base SRX with discounts may get close to $30K, or leftover '04, or used '04. I saw a used rwd V8 '04 from a private party in Autotrader with 27K miles for just under $30K.

- Buick Rendezvous or Pontiac Aztec.

- Saturn Vue or Chevy Equinox. (The Vue has an available 3.5L Honda engine.)

danbuc

02-06-05, 01:59 PM

RBraczyk, she's know how to drive a manual better than you can. The two cars she owned beofoe this were a 1995 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo Six Speed, and a 1998 BMW M3 5 Speed. She drove those better than I've seen anyne else drive them.

I have personally experienced the problem in her Volvo when driving it, particularly the surging in RPM's as the car slows down. It appears to be a problem with the ECM, but Volvo can never seem to figure it out. I'm just stating what I have seen from our car, and I'm ot saying that ALL of them are like this. I know lots of people who have new Volvo's with no problems at all.

The last time I got that smell from the car, I was doing a modest 40mph on the back roads going to my friends house. Belive it or not, as I was downshifting to stop at one of the many traffic lights on my way there, the car actually stalled on me, because the transmission couldn't keep up. I was in the process of downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear at about 12mph, when it sputtered out and rolled to a stop. As I said before, this is just my observation with this particular car, and I don't claim that every other one has these problems.

edit:By the way RBraczyk, it's comments like this, "Then your mom doesn't know how to shift properly", that make people not like you. I know your only 17, but at some point, your going to have to realize that not everything, that everyone else says is a personal attack of your character, and does not warrant such a childish response. I hope your realize this for the future, or else I'm going to keep calling you out on it. I'm starting to regret defending you in that thread you left about leaving, which you obviously still haven't done.

majax

02-06-05, 04:23 PM

If it is anyones mom who cannot shift good, it is my mom. Somehow, I don't know, but she killed an automatic(Deville) while backing out of a parking spot at the mall. It must of not been in Drive all the way.

I must disagree with you danbuc on the "I'll take a Toyota over a Honda" I think Hondas have nicer interiors and are much more exciting. Well, except for the Element and their new truck coming out. I'd take an Accord over a Camry.

The equinox is a awsome rig. I know someone with a '94 Taurus and when you pull the ash tray out the whole thing comes off the door. Luckily I got it back on before they saw:shhh:
Don't ya'll think the Rendevous is a bit ugly?

c5 rv

02-06-05, 07:25 PM

... I know someone with a '94 Taurus and when you pull the ash tray out the whole thing comes off the door. Luckily I got it back on before they saw:shhh:
Don't ya'll think the Rendevous is a bit ugly?

I had a co-worker with a Taurus that had this fixed 3 times. The Rendezvous is OK, but I have to admit that the Aztec is, well, dayum. However, I know folks who own them and love them.

majax

02-06-05, 08:07 PM

I would rather have the Raineer I think, though the Rendevous dash is kinda cool.

danbuc

02-06-05, 08:07 PM

Honda's are greats cars, but I've only had personally driving ex[erience with Toyota, and I think they are great. You are right about the newer Honda's though, they are much nice than the newer Toyota's. The Acoord especially when compared to the Camry.

majax

02-06-05, 08:43 PM

I am partial to Honda for the same reason your partial to Toyota and that is because we owned one. We almost bought a new Accord but then found the STS